Chapter 176 : Brought by Darkness

Chapter 176 : Brought by Darkness
Rayline. 

My eyes slowly opened. The atmosphere around me was dark, and yet I could still see the dots of moonlight seeping in, enough to make me realize that I was not in my usual bedroom. I sat up and looked around me. I was on some sort of table or pedestal made of stone. The high ceiling hung over my head, adding to the gloomy feel of this place. 

I looked down at the ground and discovered a slate floor surface that led to a large double door. When I looked up at the windows, my eyes caught the shadows of the stained glass that adorned the walls. I was in some kind of church or rather a long-abandoned gothic building. Since everything looked worn down and neglected, it added to the creepy atmosphere. 

My eyes were drawn to a small set of stairs that led to a large chair that was in the center of the back wall. The chair was surrounded by paintings and carvings depicting a throne. There were bones and flames in the stone, and above it, a skull with horns loomed monstrously. This is not an ordinary church... it is a place of worship, but not for a god. This throne belongs to the devil... Cole's father. 

I lifted my hand to my head and touched my forehead, and that was when I noticed that my fever was gone. My body felt better, but a wave of panic soon washed over me. I hurriedly pulled the collar of my shirt down, sneaked a glance, and felt an overwhelming sense of relief when I saw that the rune was still there, along with the purple lines stretching from it. 

"He is still alive," a sigh of relief came from me. 

"You are finally awake huh." 

I jumped in shock and looked back, catching sight of a figure sitting in the darkness. He was leaning against the wall on a high ledge carved into the stone, and I could see long demonic wings hanging down beside him. 

The man jumped down and made his way over to me. I tried to feel around for the hilt of my dagger but quickly realized that I was not wearing it. The light of the moon slowly shines on his face as he gets closer. 

"Silas..." A whisper escaped my mouth as I looked up at him. 

His lips curled up in a taunting smile. "Good to see you," he said in a leisurely tone, as he paced around the stone I was lying on. "How have you been?" 

Rather than answering, I watched his every move closely, feeling both extremely bewildered and on guard. 

"I guess I should not ask," he shrugged slightly. "You have been having a hard time though." 

"Where am I?" I asked in a strained voice. 

He smirked, enjoying my bemusement. "Can't wait to leave already?" 

"He will find me, and he will kill you," I spat furiously, but the smile on his face only grew wider and turned sinister. My stomach churned at his reaction. 

"But that is exactly what we want," he replied in a chilling tone. 

"We?" I narrowed my eyes, feeling increasingly pressured and scared while looking around for any other signs of threat. 

"Our boss, they want to speak to him face to face. We figured having you here would be a good motivation to get him here, seeing as finding us was not exactly working out for you." 

I clenched my fists, trying to hold back the tremors within my body. "Why do you want him dead so badly?" I asked, my voice trembling with suppressed emotion. But he did not answer, just stared at me expressionlessly, like a living statue. "He has never done anything to hurt anyone—" 

"That is a lie, and you know it," he snapped at me fiercely, his voice filled with raw rage beyond restraint. There was something flashing in his eyes, a deep pain, that somehow got me stuck. 

"He never wanted to," I tried to refute, my voice quieter now, but his expression remained blank. "He never wanted to hurt anyone, Silas. He had no choice but to do it." 

"That doesn't change anything," he said quietly, barely audible. "Besides, the choice is not up to me." 

"...Why?" I asked again, more strongly, but he still would not answer. "You have the power of a greater demon. Why kill Cole?" 

There was some shock on his face, for a brief moment, before it was replaced with a stony expression. "How do you know that?" 

"...Are you working for Leonardo?" I blurted out my guess, trying to read his reaction. 

The corners of his lips curled into an amused smirk. "Playing detective now?" 

"Why?" I retorted, more forcefully, ignoring his frivolous mockery and trying to change the subject. 

"He is a threat to our power." His gaze pierced into my eyes, dark and hateful. "His very existence." 

"What?" I murmured, barely registering it. 

Silas comfortably took a seat on the stone dais, leaning on his arm casually, as if we were discussing the weather. "People have been getting uneasy. This thing has been going on for years now. He has gone soft. It all started when he fell in love with that damn angel." 

For some reason, I bit my tongue, trying to hold back the anger rising in my chest. "You mean... his father?" 

The look he gave me was enough of an answer, and he went on, "The demon world needs a change. People used to fear our race. But now we are merely looked upon as pests. We have to show the other races that we have not lost our power... that we are still something to be feared." 

"...And you want Cole dead to make sure he can't stop you?" I said it in a bitter tone, and the malicious smile on his face answered all my questions. 

"He can control angels, demons, humans, everything. If he gets in the way, he can ruin everything. He must be wiped out," he replied coldly, his voice like a knife through my heart. 

My teeth gnashed with rage, anger bubbling up in my chest. "You just want him gone so you can declare war." 

"If we don't do it, someone else will... or try to take advantage of him." His gaze never left me, as if he was trying to get through my mind. "Just like his father." 

"You are just afraid of him," I snapped, cutting him off before he could continue. "You and Leonardo. You guys are cowards." 

"Enough!" Silas jumped to his feet, his eyes flashing with rage, but I did not allow myself to be alarmed or daunted. 

"So, you just want power?" I looked at him spitefully. He did not say anything, just stood with his body tense. "Using fear to control people..." I shook my head, looking at him with loathing. "You are going to fail." 

Silas just shrugged his shoulders, a sinister smile playing on his lips. "Well, we will see about that," he said in a sneering tone. 

I let out another slow breath, trying to calm myself down even as my heart and mind raged on. The memory of Silas's actions that kept recurring in my mind made my brow furrow. 

"...Why are you doing this?" I asked my voice almost a whisper but filled with a hardness that could not be held back. 

He looked at me curiously, as if my question was something he had never thought of. "What do you mean?" 

"Why are you specifically doing this?" I asked, hoping he would give me an open answer. 

He remained silent, not responding again, just staring at me with eyes that seemed to hold a series of secrets. 

"When you spoke about Kody," I went on again, more sharply this time, noticing the sudden stiffening of his face, "I could tell you cared about him. You care about your men." I paused for a moment, trying to catch the twist on his face. "And yet, you are pushing for war." I locked my gaze with him, demanding an answer that I had been holding back. "Why?" 

He let out a huff of frustration, taking a step closer to me in annoyance. "This is what my father believed was right... that it can help us, the lower-class demons. I will hold up his legacy." 

"Even if it's something you don't stand for?" I asked in somewhat less harsh tones. 

Anger was growing in him, evident from the way his eyes looked at me sharply. "I don't expect a human like you to get it. It's more complicated than that." He turned his face away as if he had no desire to show me more. 

Trying to break through his guard with my words. "You know Cole never wanted to kill anyone. Humans, demons, or even angels. He just wanted to live in peace... People were just too afraid to give him a chance." 

"It's not me who won't give him a chance," he said in a resigned way before he could stop himself. His eyes widened before he turned away, trying to hide something that was coming out. "You don't get it. We are not just dealing with a grumpy low-class demon. And if I don't obey it, I die." 

"You don't have to do this. Jesse, Taylor, they can get you out of this," I tried to convince him, my voice full of desperate hope. 

"We are in too deep now. Besides, we both know if a demon sees me once, I'm as good as dead." He turned to me again, and I could see the fear radiating from his eyes, a fear that he had been hiding so tightly. "This is the only shot I got. So I will fight for my men." 

"Please," I whispered, pleading, hoping he could see that there was another way. 

"There is only one option for a creature like him, Rayline." 

My heart sank as if an unbearable weight was crushing my chest as I shook my head, rejecting the reality he was trying to offer me. 

Out of nowhere, I heard the blast of wind from outside, and I recognized it as... the sound of someone landing. Silas snapped his head in the direction of the sound, giving a wake-up call. "It's about time." He then looked at me again, his eyes flashing with something dark. "Your boyfriend should be arriving soon, as well." 

I cast a quick glance at the door and muttered under my breath, "He is not going to come alone, you do realize that, right?" 

"Of course." His eyes trailed my gaze, full of hidden plans. "We are already prepared for that." 

"What do you mean?" I asked, starting to feel the anxiety rising. 

He smirked at me, a devilish smirk that made my blood run cold. "How do you think your sickness will be gone?" 

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I had no answer to that question. 

"It's because our boss is in control now. They enjoy torturing him by putting you in pain. But now, they are ready to make their move..." 

"So, you are just going to kill them?" I asked, sounding lost in despair, trying to grasp the brutality behind their plan. 

"Not all of them. We were ordered not to kill Jesse. The rest..." He shrugged as if their lives did not matter to him. 

"Jesse?" I frowned, my mind racing. Was it because of his father? It could be, but... it did not make sense... unless they wanted him as a bargaining chip. If they were to capture him, he could be used against his father. 

"What if he brings the Nephilim?" I asked, knowing that Cole... or at least Chase, would have turned to them for help. 

"He won't. He's been warned what will happen if he does." 

"...This is all a trap." With a sigh of rage, I breathed out, furious, and filled with hatred at this trick. "It was all just a game of cat and mouse." 

His smile widened, a devilish grin creeping across his face. "Except, this cat likes to play with the mouse before eating it." Then he placed his hand on my head. Before I can fight back, a powerful force radiates from his touch, and instantly, the world around me goes black.